chiiz

Cute, Needs Development

I was interested in this show because of Kang Ha Neul, who’s always fantastic, and because I love food. The concept was promising and looked for a heartwarming watch.

The acting, especially from KHN, was fantastic. The FL also did a good job, and I fell in love with the supporting cast.

The story felt only half-finished. Sometimes I like a shorter series, but ironically this one could have benefited from a normal 16 ep run. Even though it only ran for 10 the pacing felt off—it dragged at lots of points and wrapped up too fast in others.

I personally didn’t have a problem with the ending. It felt realistic that it wasn’t a clichéd victory for the good guys and sent a message that we must live our lives for ourselves and what we believe in; things may not be perfect, but we can find things in life that make us happy. My problem with the story was the half-developed relationship between the leads. I saw hints of romantic chemistry, but it had way more potential.

I did like the ML growth, it was done fairly well in the last 3 episodes. However, because of the shorter run, it felt rushed. A longer series would have added in more examples of his growth. The trailer implied we would get concrete examples, but it was very limited. I also wish we learned more about the FL and her cooking journey; the times we did I was left wanting a bit more and way less of the ex-bf. While it was nice to see her tie up loose ends, two whole episodes was too much time to devote to the ex.

Visually, it was beautiful. I felt the passion and care that went into each cooking scene, and I felt lighthearted.

Overall, it was cute. Would I watch it again? No. But I will commend the actors for giving their best, despite feeling like their characters had more to offer.

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Cute, but Slightly Adrift

This show’s strength is in its actors. Song Kang and Kim Yoo Jung carried the show both individually and as a pair. Without their acting chemistry, this wouldn’t have been as popular as it was. Their love story is in parts wholesome, hilarious, and tragic and perfectly conveyed by the leads.

This show’s weakness is its story. It started off very promising; it wasn’t anything new, but it began with a pretty good momentum that had me hooked. After about halfway through it floundered and the pacing was all over the place. It also couldn’t see to choose a tone, sometimes being super serious and tense and other times super silly.

The villain/murder plot had a lot of potential to be great but the writers revealed everything too early. Instead of building up suspicion and characterization of the family, it was revealed early on who the real antagonist was. Furthermore, the answer was pretty obvious and by the time the “truth” was revealed to the characters, viewers had guessed major plot points long ago. With a 16 episode run, they could have spent that time padding out plot lines strategically but failed to do so.

Another waste was the second leads. Gu-won and Ga Young had zero chemistry, and her character seemed wholly unnecessary. Seok Hoon’s second lead syndrome was also half-written and didn’t need to be a plot point either. I actually thought Seok Hoon was going to be revealed as the main antagonist because Seok Min was way too obvious.

Overall, it was an enjoyable show but many parts lacked in development. The best part of the story was the main love plot and their past connection, but had the potential to be a lot better. Probably wouldn’t watch again, but it’s definitely far from the worst I’ve seen.

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Sickeningly Sweet

This show gave me a toothache! It was so disgustingly adorable and I’d gladly watch again. Did it have a strong story? Eh. Did it have a main couple with good chemistry? Absolutely! Sometimes I enjoy a kdrama that isn’t super soapy and has a couple breakup or dumb misunderstandings. Sometimes I like to see meaningless fluff and that’s okay. Sure, many plot points were added in as a second thought, but I didn’t mind. I believe this show was created just to be cute and nothing else, which is great. If you need a pick-me-up just watch this one. Junho and Yoona’s lead chemistry was so good that it had me believing they were a real couple.

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Hooked

This is the second time I’ve watched this show, but first time reviewing it. Much of my opinions on it remain the same the second time, and I wanted to make some observations.

First, it’s very addictive. It’s super easy to binge in one sitting or over a couple days, and it keeps you hooked. The dual timeline does a really good job of grabbing you right away and wanting to find out what goes down. You really root for Ari and pray for the downfall of the super rich, spoiled people. There was a good amount of glamour, intrigue, and mystery to go around.

Second, it’s a decent social commentary on the dangers of social media. It made a lot of good points on how our lives are consumed by strangers and the damage it can cause. Even the bbbfamous girl made valid points in the end, despite being messed up. Why do we concern ourselves with people who flaunt their wealth when so many people can’t begin to reach their level, and why do we care so much about them?

Third, I HATED the ml. Nothing against the actor, but the romantic plot line did not need to exist. He was arrogant, entitled, and just so bland as a character. Ari should have stuck to her guns and not gotten with him. People like that piss me off and I couldn’t get behind it. They would have been better as friends or acquaintances.

Finally, the acting overall was a bit weak. Park Gyu Young was great, but the ensemble cast felt one note. Don’t get me wrong, the bad guys were good at being the bad guys, but some of those snooty celebrities just swore and huffed the entire time and didn’t show any other emotions or depth. The only other stand out was Kim Noh Jin, who played bbbfamous. Even though we only got to see her as revealed in the final episode, her scenes were good. She was very chilling.

This is a good drama to throw on during your free time, and highly entertaining. Good for rewatches too.

Side note: that Lee Jun Ho cameo was random, haha. He and Park Gyu Young look like they could play siblings! Make it happen!

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Heartwarming

I’m surprised how much I liked this one! The age gap and chemistry between the leads worked surprisingly well, though I did think their story was a bit underdeveloped towards the end. However, I appreciated the more realistic take on relationships and that they take time to manifest.

Shin Min Ah was wonderful as the FL! She was definitely the main cast member with the most experience in acting, and she handled a range of emotions well. I was easily able to understand her character. Hae Yeong’s development in was very well done. Kim Young Dae was fine, but was a bit one note at times. I have seen one other drama of his, and he’s got good facial expressions, but maybe the writing just didn’t give him enough to do. That being said, his character was such a green flag!

As I’m sure many people have already said, the 2nd lead couple stole the show. At first, their storyline was a big red flag, but they turned out to be super cute. I felt for Ja Yeon and all she’d gone through in her life, and I was pleased to see how they developed Gyu Hyun as a character. Lee Sang Yi was such a loser in this drama, and his moments definitely gave me the most laughs! I usually see him play a badass action hero or cop, so it was a nice change, and he did super well! In the end, I think they both grew a lot and I can’t wait to see them in the spin off!

The only plotline I wasn’t particularly crazy about was the Bok family drama. It wasn’t developed in a way that felt necessary to the story and just padded up the run time, and in the end it wasn’t really resolved? Things just turned out okay between Ji Uk and the family, but no real resolution was shown. I guess they let bygones be bygones and nobody stood up to the parents? The storyline should have been focused on more or cut out altogether. The main conflict should have been Ji Uk and Ha Yeong working on their relationship, which I think was sidelined towards the end.

Overall, I appreciated how certain themes were handled and many moments felt very realistic. Again, I wish we had gotten to see more of Hae Yeong and Ji Uk’s relationship, and more backstory between Hae Yeong and her parents. I think it would have made the drama about Ji Uk being one of the foster kids more impactful as Hae Yeong would have to come to terms with it. But it was a cute drama!

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Hooray for Vigilante Justice

I don’t get the super harsh reviews. Was the story perfect? Nah, but it was close. And who doesn’t like the bada** good guys beating up the baddies?

First off, the ensemble cast was great. Bogum was perfect as the lead and displayed and wide range of emotions with ease. You really felt what his character felt, laughing, crying, or pissed as hell when he did. The rest of the main cast were also very like-able and they had excellent chemistry. And Oh Jung Se nailed his role as the villain.

Actions scenes were consistently exciting, heart-pumping, and cool to watch. The choreography was so fun, and it never felt repetitive. The time and effort that went into them was evident. The OST also added a lot to the action.

Story wise, it wasn’t super original (not the first time we’ve seen action hero/police officers vs bad guys). However, it didn’t deter from my enjoyment or wanting to know how things would shake down. The only weak/unfinished parts were 1) Dong-ju’s physical health. I was expecting them to come back to it at the end, but it was suddenly okay. I was surprised they didn't cover how it psychologically affected him, and it would have added more depth and emotion to that plot point. 2) Ha-na’s mother. I didn’t think her character was absolutely necessary. There was some sort of arc, but not till the end, and her character was just irritating. Their relationship repairing didn’t need to happen. 3) Ha-na and Dong-ju’s relationship. As cute as it was, we didn’t get to see enough of it. Ha-na acted as a great support for Dong-ju and they had sweet/spicy moments, but after the relationship was first established it took a back burner to the main plot. Things were always just good between them, and it would have been nice to see the ups and downs or further development.

That being said, I really enjoyed this one! I was rooting for the right people the whole time, and it was never boring. Sometimes you just need a satisfying watch and it’s okay if it’s not perfect. It was exactly as advertised and a good time. Would watch again!

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Absolutely Adorable

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this drama so much, but I’m glad I watched it! I love Lee Sung Kyung, and the ensemble cast was so great.

Story wise, it was interesting to get a behind the scenes perspective from industry people and the things they have to deal with on a daily basis. It brought a lot of humanity to celebrities and PR workers. Some of the side plots were interesting too, but came second to life in the office.

As much as I adored Gong Tae Song’s character, I wish we got more on Oh Han Byeol. There were hints of her character, but we never learned who she was beyond her job or relationship. Lee Sung Kyung felt a bit underutilized in that aspect.

Overall, it was enjoyable. All the supporting cast were wonderful too, and I fell in love with all the characters. I would maybe put this one on again if I need a pick me up.

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My Stomach Hurts From Laughing

I went in expecting a wild ride and was not disappointed! Lee Dong Wook and Wi Ha Joon had fantastic acting chemistry and delivered a bromance/cop drama that left me in stitches.

Each actor was perfectly suited for the role. I loved Dong Wook’s easy portrayal of a very flawed main character, but his flaws are not a detriment to my enjoyment. The way the story tackled his moral compass and growth was brilliantly done and I couldn’t dislike him if I tried. It was very touching to see the man his character became in the end.

Wi Ha Joon was responsible for the majority of the laughs and surprisingly some of the most touching moments. He personified “crazy” but had a level of depth I wasn’t initially expecting but became more apparent as the show went on.

The supporting cast was also a love able bunch of chaotic weirdos and fit in with the leads and story well. I wish we had gotten more of them.

Story wise, it was good but not without flaws. The first few episodes set things up wonderfully and had me on the edge of my seat. It began to slow down in the middle and almost crashed at the end. While it wasn’t a bad ending, it felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic. Like many shows with a 12 episode run, it could have benefited from being 16 instead. It would have been great to see more from the characters, Su-yeol’s development, sub-storylines, and a more polished main antagonist arc. I was left wanting more, which in this case wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Definitely check this one out if you a love action, a good laugh, have a sense of justice, and mysterious vigilantes.

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Funtime For Foodies

If you’re a foodie and love K-dramas then you’ve come to the right place! The camera work and detail that went into making this happen was fantastic and really brought everything to life.

The cast was also great. I fell in love with all the characters! Yoon A and Chae Min were brilliant; Chae Min’s performance felt so natural for him and his acting in the last few episodes was especially poignant. I didn’t want to leave any of these characters!

If I could make a small change it would be to make it a full 16 episode run. The 12 episode run may have worked if 3 episodes weren’t dragged out for the Ming envoy storyline. While the last two episodes made up for it, I felt as though the historical aspects were overshadowed by cooking. Im certainly not complaining, but the tonal shift was a bit jarring. The scheming and history plot line was pushed into the background until the end.

I was glad we got a happy ending. It definitely made up for the trauma we all felt with Scarlett Heart lol.

Would definitely watch again! Overall it was a good time and even garnered a good cry towards the end. I was rooting for our good guys all the way through.

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The Best Fanservice

I’m so so glad they did a mini spin-off of Ja Yeon and Gyu Hyun’s story! Lee Sang Yi and Han Ji Hyeon have incredible chemistry, and I’m so excited we got to see an extension of their relationship.

These two are hilarious, both in the main series and spin-off. The meta storyline was brilliant and had me cackling/uwu-ing the whole time. I’ve watched a lot of kdramas, but this whole idea was super fresh!

It’s about time Lee Sang Yi got to be a leading man in a rom com! Don’t get me wrong, I love him in action stuff, but he’s certainly got the looks and energy for this too. His character in both the main and side series was so different from what I’ve seen him do before.

Han Ji Hyeon also stole my heart in both series. She’s so talented and beautiful, and I hope to see her in more shows! I like that this side series also made sure to include elements of her real-life trauma, perfectly blending in Ja Yeon’s hopes. It was surprisingly touching and tied in well to the main story. This also explained why she suddenly started developing feelings for Gyu Hyun.

I seriously want to petition for these two to work together again! Great chemistry!

Also, Lee Sang Yi sounded great singing the OST!

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My Heart…

I wasn’t sure what to expect going in. I knew Cho Yi Hyun from All of Us Are Dead but otherwise had no other knowledge of it. It surpassed any expectations and was charming, funny, emotional, and heartfelt. The overall cast was amazing, but I’d say Cho Yi Hyun, Choo Young Woo, and Choo Ja Hyun were the standouts! Young Woo’s ability to switch so seamlessly between Gyeon-u and Bong-su was impressive and he made both equally likeable. Yi Hyun is adorable as always, and she brought so much sincerity to her character. The love triangle managed to be cute and wholesome without ruining the plot; the 3 leads had a great dynamic and I wish we could have seen more of them! I also wish we got to see more of adult Seong-A and Gyeong-u’s budding relationship…
Overall a very enjoyable watch. I laughed a lot, blushed, and cried. Definitely a rewatch!

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